Common ASIC form codes

Every document lodged with ASIC is a numbered form, and the form code is the fastest way to understand a company's document list without opening the images. A Form 201 is the application that created the company, a Form 484 is the routine notification of changed details, a Form 370 is a director or secretary resigning on their own initiative, a Form 388 is the annual financial report of a company that must lodge one, and a Form 505 is the appointment of a liquidator or administrator. asicapi returns the form code and ASIC's description on every document, and the reference forms endpoint gives you the complete, current list.

Where it appears in the API

• document.formCode and document.formDescription on every document from GET /v1/companies/{id}/documents, GET /v1/documents/{documentNumber}, person documents and register documents.
• document.subForms[] lists the sections of a multi-part form that the lodgement actually used.
• document.qualifier and sourceDocument.qualifier hold the annual return year or financial report year (for example AR 2019 or FR 2019).
• formCode query parameter on the company documents endpoint filters the list to one form.
• GET /v1/reference/forms with an optional category returns { "formCode", "description" } for every form ASIC recognises.
• nameReservation.formCode on a name reservation is normally 410.
• preAsicDocuments[].formCode carries the form codes of the former state registers, which follow different conventions.

Widely used form codes

Sub-form codes

Multi-part forms report which parts were completed. The subForms[] array on a document lists each part with a code and description, and the source document on an office holder, address or member record points to the Form 484 that changed it.

{
  "object": "document",
  "documentNumber": "7E4561230",
  "formCode": "484",
  "formDescription": "Change to company details",
  "subForms": [
    { "code": "484A", "description": "Change of address" },
    { "code": "484B", "description": "Change to officeholders" }
  ],
  "receivedAt": "2026-03-04",
  "processedAt": "2026-03-05",
  "effectiveAt": "2026-03-01",
  "qualifier": null,
  "pageCount": 3,
  "imaged": true,
  "underRequisition": false,
  "xbrlAvailable": false,
  "xbrlDocumentNumber": null,
  "status": null,
  "priced": true
}

Sub-form codes are the parent form code followed by a letter. Use the description ASIC supplies rather than inferring meaning from the letter, because the lettering has changed between versions of the form.

Document qualifiers

Some document types are qualified with the period they relate to. Annual returns, which companies lodged each year until they were replaced by the annual review in 2003, are qualified as AR followed by the year. Financial reports lodged on Form 388 are qualified as FR followed by the year. The qualifier appears in document.qualifier and on sourceDocument.qualifier when, for example, a member record was last confirmed by an annual return.

"sourceDocument": { "documentNumber": "0E1122334", "qualifier": "AR 1999" }

ASIC Alert document categories

ASIC's Company Alert service groups forms into categories so subscribers can be notified only about documents of interest. GET /v1/reference/forms?category= accepts these values and returns the forms in that category. You can request all forms or one category per call.

Because form membership in a category is defined by ASIC and changes over time, use the endpoint rather than a fixed list when you build filters for document monitoring.

Reading a document list by form code

A typical proprietary company's document list is mostly 484s with an occasional 205 (name change), 370 (a director resigning) and 492 (correction). Public companies add a 388 each year. Anything from the 5xx series signals insolvency and is worth a look at external administration. A 6010 followed by a DRGD status is a clean voluntary closure. The documents concept page explains document numbers, imaging and how to order a copy.

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